Strange Happenings
by Hikari102490
Summary: Sequel to Taboo. Bella and Edward have been happily married for a year now! Now they’ve moved to Montana. If they thought Forks was full of Mythical creatures they’re in for a surprise!
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **Sequel to Taboo. Bella and Edward have been happily married for a year now! Now they've moved to Montana. If they thought Forks was full of Mythical creatures they're in for a surprise! Also, what happens when news travels of Bella's powers and the Volturi find out?

**Disclaimer:** I own four dogs, five cats, a rabbit, six turtles, and my artwork, but I do not own the frog that took refuge in our pond, Twilight, or the rest of the series. Stephenie Meyer owns the books…Mother Nature owns the frog I named Kermit.

**Strange Happenings**

Skin is a covering for our immortality. ~Ever Garrison

Everything was going well for Edward and I. It had been almost two years now and we were in our room. I was playing around with my powers and decided to try something new. Suddenly my heart began beating in my chest and Edward stiffens from his place on the bed. "Bella?"

"Yes, Edward?" I ask before gasping. Even my voice was different! Yet I still had all of the powers of a vampire just like I always did when I did transformations.

"You're heart is beating!" exclaims Edward as I walk towards him. "You smell human again." I smile and crawl onto the bed and over to Edward before touching his hand in an effort to calm him down. "You're warm!" Then I tighten my grip on his hand to show him that I'm still strong.

"It's just another of my talents. I thought maybe you'd like another chance with me as a human," I say feeling my blush form on my cheeks.

"I've missed your blush," says Edward as he caresses my cheek. "And your warmth."

"I don't miss any of this," I say taking Edward's hand in mine. "I like being a vampire, to be your equal."

"I don't regret making you like me," says Edward before kissing me.

I had forgotten what it felt like to make love to Edward as a human. The feeling of my body molding to his. His cold skin against my heated flesh. The difference was that even though I was essentially human, I still had the strength of a vampire and my body could take more than it had the first time I had made love to Edward on our honeymoon. Sleeping was probably the strangest sensation I have felt as a vampire though. As a human I could sleep and dream.

When I had awoken Edward was laying next to me playing with my hair and watching me sleep. I look at him and smile. I had expected my body to transform back to my vampire body like it normally did after a couple of hours. I could never keep a form for more than a few hours. "Good morning, Love," says Edward smiling crookedly.

"Good morning," I say with a smile before kissing him softly.

"I have missed watching you sleep, Love. You still sleep talk after all this time," says Edward before kissing me again.

"What did I say?" I ask trying to remember the dream I had. When I do, I was surprised to remember the child in it so vividly.

"You said that you loved me," says Edward. Then his expression became pained and I wondered what else he could have heard. "Then it sounded like you was having a nightmare."

"A nightmare?" Then more of the dream comes to me and I realize I really did have a nightmare. Then I decided I didn't want to get into it and pretended I didn't remember. "Anyway, school starts today. We should get going."

"Aren't you going to change back to a vampire?" asks Edward.

"Why? If we're going to school shouldn't I try to blend in?" I ask.

"I guess you're right. Come on, Love," says Edward taking my hand and leading me to our closet where Alice had already laid out our clothes for the day. Apparently we were going to match today. We both had jeans—designer of course—I had a white baby doll shirt and a tan jean jacket that went over it with black stilettos. Edward had a white dress shirt and tan sweater that went over it along with black dress shoes. Alice even specified what make up I was to wear along with a picture of my hairstyle for the day. I pick up my clothes only to find a baggy with my accessories for the outfit.

My Cullen crest bracelet, Esme's necklace, and a chain for me to put my wedding and engagement rings on so that I could wear them. Edward would do the same, but his chain was thicker. I also had a watch that was similar to Edward's but daintier and earrings. "Well at least she's letting me do my own hair and make-up…sort of," I say as I pick up the baggy and make-up as well before heading to the bathroom with a chuckling Edward not far behind me.

"You know Alice," says Edward with a grin. After getting a shower and dressed we go downstairs where Carlisle was telling Toby the rules for high school once again. He would be Alice's twin since he had so much energy. They would be starting as 7th graders while Edward and I were to be 8th graders and Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper were to be freshmen.

"Good morning everyone," I say as I sit down next to Toby.

"Hey Bella! You have a heartbeat," says Toby says in amazement. "And you look human."

"Just another of my abilities," I say with a shrug.

"Perhaps you shouldn't push it Bella. I suggest you turn back into a vampire," says Carlisle in a tone that left no room for arguments. So I did as he said.

Soon we were at school and as expected people stared. Toby seemed overwhelmed by the attention, but Edward, Alice, and Jasper weren't freaking out yet so I figured he was okay. "I can't believe that I still have to go to school," says Toby as we walk across the lot to the school.

"If it makes you feel better this is my second time," I say wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "Not to mention how many times the others have been to high school and college. Have you seen all of their caps and gowns?"

"No," says Toby.

"Well you didn't finish high school the first time so you get to go again. It'll be easier for you now," I say with a grin.

"That's what you think," mumbles Toby.

"You have a photographic memory now," I say as we enter the school.

"Yeah I know I stayed up all night reading some of Carlisle's books," says Toby. "I remember most of it. If not all of it."

"That's good," says Edward encouragingly. Once in the office we told the receptionist our names and she gave us our schedules. It turned out that Alice, Toby, Edward, and I had homeroom together. It also turned out that Edward and I had almost identical schedules, but he had gym second semester and I had it first. So while I was in gym he would be learning health. I was sure that that was probably a good thing. After all I was pretty sure that they taught sex ed to eighth graders…in depth. Edward and I wouldn't make it through that class like the mature adults we actually are.

"It sucks that we don't have gym and health together," I say nonchalantly. It was somewhat true, but I was also glad.

"Yeah, it does. I was really looking forward to seeing your face when we learned about reproduction too," says Edward with this mischievous glint in his eye. Then Alice started giggling and I knew I would be taking health with Edward next semester. Soon we were standing in the front of our homeroom class so that the teacher—named Mr. Raynard—could introduce us.

"Okay class, this is Tobias Cullen, Alice Cullen, Edward Cullen, and Isabella McCarty. They're Dr. Cullen's children and will be joining us so make them feel welcome," says Mr. Raynard. Then we all take seats in the back and watched as everyone stared at us as the announcements were made and Mr. Raynard passed out some papers and told us to have our parents fill them out and give them back to him by Friday.

Then the bell rang and Edward and I separated from Alice and Toby so that we could go to our pre-algebra class. When we walked in everyone that was already in the room stopped what they were doing and stared at us. "Good morning. You must be Isabella and Edward," says a woman standing at the front of the room. "My name is Ms. Gregory. Welcome to Pre-algebra."

"Please call me Bella," I say.

"Okay Bella it is then. You can both pick a seat, but keep in mind that whatever seats you choose are your assigned seats until I say otherwise," says Ms. Gregory. We nod and Edward leads me to two seats in the middle of the room.

"Ms. Gregory likes to pick favorites, so watch out," says Edward quietly enough for me to hear.

"How does she pick them?" I ask.

"She favors the girls, but if you're involved in after school activities—especially sports—she likes you even more."

"I'll keep that in mind," I say just as the bell rings and class starts. Pre-algebra was easy as were the rest of my classes, until I got to gym. The coach wanted to start with the track unit immediately since the weather was warm. So after being told all of the rules and the agenda for the week we were free to do as we pleased. I was never fond of gym so I took a seat on the bleachers and read the book I brought with me.

"Miss Swan!" barks the coach causing me to look up quickly. "You need to get moving unless you want an F on your first day of gym!"

"Yes sir," I say putting my book down and walking onto the gym floor. Suddenly a girl walks over to me holding a basketball.

"Hi, you're Isabella right?" she asks shyly.

"Bella," I correct.

"My name is McKenzie. Would you like to play basketball with my friends and I?" she asks blushing.

"Sure," I say with a smile before following her over to where three girls were standing.

"This is Stella, Serenity, and Jade," says McKenzie.

"It's nice to meet you all. I'm Bella McCarty," I say with a smile.

"Hi," says Jade with a huge grin.

"We're going to play two on two," says Stella.

"I was going to referee and then take McKenzie's place between scores," says Serenity as McKenzie hands me the ball.

"And you get to be on my team," says McKenzie with a grin. I nod and soon gym was over. By then McKenzie and her friends had written their phone numbers on my arm so that I could call them about hanging out sometime after school. I had agreed and when I left the gym I found Edward waiting for me with a grin on his face.

"Sounds like you made some friends today," says Edward.

"Yeah, but there's something about all four of them…"

"Do you think it's anything dangerous?" asks Edward.

"No, but I have a feeling I'll be finding out what it is soon," I say.

End Chapter

**A/N: Thanks for reading chapter one of the sequel! Sorry it probably sucks! LOL Okay so I was thinking about possible strategies for this story…and I had one, but now I'm rethinking it because it doesn't really work….but now I have a new strategy and it'll work out much better than my original plan! So have no fear my brain is working today! I also apologize that I have been such a slow poke, but I'm no good without inspiration. I haven't had any in a while, but I think it's coming back to me! Sayonara! =]**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

When I got home from school Esme was waiting for us on the porch. "Hello Esme," I say happily.

"How was school everyone?" asks Esme.

"It went well," says Edward as Rosalie's car pulls up and everyone gets out.

"That's good. I received a phone call while you were all gone. Jacob is coming and he's bringing some of the pack with him," says Esme.

"Did he sound worried or anything?" I ask suddenly worried for my friend.

"The way he spoke it was important, but he didn't sound too worried or anything," says Esme.

"Okay, so when is he coming?" I ask.

"He said he'd be here in a couple of days," says Esme.

"Thank you Esme," I say as my cell phone rings alerting me to a text message. It was so unexpected that I tensed up before pulling my phone from my pocket and checking the text.

_Hi Bella! We should do something this weekend! McKenzie 3_

Once I read her text I texted her back. **Can I get back to you on that? Bella =] **

After sending the text I go inside where everyone else was waiting for me. It didn't take McKenzie long to respond.

_Sure, I'll be waiting! 3 _ Once I sit down with Edward I look around the room and notice Alice staring at me with a grin plastered on her face.

"What?" I ask.

"So tell me about these friends you've made," says Alice happily.

"What is there to say? Stella, Serenity, Jade, and McKenzie are just some girls I met in gym class. They seem nice and McKenzie wants to hang out this weekend. They're also related. Stella and Serenity are twins and are McKenzie's cousins, along with Jade. I guess they were all born on the same day though, Halloween," I say.

"You learned all that in one class period?" says Alice.

"They like to talk a lot," I say as my phone goes off again. I sigh heavily and check it.

_Want to hang out? McKenzie was thinking a movie or mall. Jade ___

"You should go, it'll be fun," says Alice winking at me.

"I thought Carlisle said that I shouldn't get too close to humans," I say causing Alice to scowl at me.

"You don't have to tell them that you're a vampire to be friends with them. Now get your butt out of here or I'm telling Esme," says Alice causing Edward to chuckle.

"She's right, Love. You should make friends," says Edward. I sigh heavily and text Jade back.

**Sure, whatever you want. Where should I meet you? Bella =] ** "When you go shopping I want you to go to Macy's and get me the black jacket. You'll know what I mean when you see it," says Alice excitedly before handing me some money. I sigh heavily and walk towards the stairs.

"Come on Edward," I say with a grin before running up to the third floor. Edward follows me and soon we were in our room making out. Edward was just about to remove my shirt when my phone goes off.

_Meet at your house? McKenzie is driving. Jade ___Once I give her the address I go back to kissing Edward. Just as we finish making love Esme calls up the stairs to let me know that my friends were here. Edward and I get dressed and looking presentable in record time before walking down the stairs.

"Hey Bella!" says McKenzie excitedly as we reach the bottom of the stairs.

"Hi everyone," I say cheerfully. "This is my hus—boyfriend, Edward. Edward, these are my friends, Stella, Jade, McKenzie, Jade and Serenity." He was too busy laughing at my slip up to hear my introduction though so I elbow him hard enough to cause him to double over. "Don't laugh at me," I murmur much too quickly and softly for my friends to hear.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," says Edward with my favorite crooked smile on his face. All four of them blush and look away sheepishly and I giggle.

"Quit dazzling them," I whisper causing Edward to grin. "So what's the plan"

"Serenity wanted to go shopping," says Stella.

"Okay, sounds like a good idea, I just need to go grab my bag, and maybe a jacket," I say noticing that they were all wearing jackets.

"Okay," says Jade just as Toby walks in carrying my jacket and the bag I was planning to grab.

"Alice heard that you was planning to go shopping and asked me to bring this to you," says Toby as he hands me my things.

"Thanks Toby," I say as I put my jacket on. "Toby these are my friends, Stella, Serenity, McKenzie, and Jade."

"Hi," says Toby quietly before walking over to Edward and standing behind him.

"Toby's our newest family member, he's a little shy," I explain just as Toby slowly makes his way up the stairs trying to be inconspicuous and failing miserably.

"How old is he?" asks Serenity.

"Thirteen," says Edward with another of his crooked smiles. I drop my shield and picture Edward out in the cold while I laid in our bed all alone reading a book. _This is what will happen if you keep dazzling them!_ His smile immediately fades and he glares at me before walking towards the living room. I roll my eyes and smile at my friends.

"So, is everyone ready to go?" I ask.

"Wait, Bella, you didn't introduce me and Jazz to your friends!" booms Emmett as he walks into the room with Jasper not far behind.

"Hey, my name's Emmett." I roll my eyes and sigh heavily.

"These are my big brothers. Jasper, Emmett, meet McKenzie, Jade, Serenity, and Stella," I say dryly.

"Hello," says Jasper with a small smile just as Alice skips down the steps.

"Hi! My name is Alice, what are yours?" she asks enthusiastically. Once the introduced themselves they invited Alice to come along with us.

"Ummm…I can't. I promised Rosalie that I'd help her shop online, but thanks for offering," says Alice before dancing away with Jasper not far behind. Emmett also took that as a hint that we were getting ready to leave and went back to the living room. I few moments later Edward was back in the room and kissed my cheek.

"Have fun, Love, I'll see you in a few hours," says Edward before kissing me on the lips gently and walking back to the living room.

"Okay now that you've met everyone but Rosalie and Carlisle, I think we can go," I say with a smile.

"Okay," says McKenzie cheerfully before opening the door and walking out to a van sitting in the driveway. I follow them all and soon we were driving to the nearest mall.

"So tell me about your family," says McKenzie.

"Well, all seven of us kids are adopted by Carlisle and Esme. Toby and Alice are twins, Jasper and Rosalie are twins, Edward is Toby and Alice's older brother, and Emmett and I are brother and sister," I explain.

"I thought you and Edward were dating," says Stella.

"We are. My last name is McCarty and Edward's is Cullen. Jasper and Alice are also dating as well as Emmett and Rosalie. Toby is the only single one, for obvious reasons," I say.

"Wow, that's crazy," says Jade cheerfully.

"You have no idea," I mumble.

"Our family is pretty crazy though, too," says Serenity reasonably. She seemed to be the responsible one in the group.

"What do you mean?" I ask. I was honestly curious about these four. I knew something wasn't right, but I wasn't sure what. I guess finding out what was strange was going to be easier than I thought. Suddenly we were pulling up in front of the mall and everyone was filing out of the van. Apparently I wasn't about to get my answer. We go inside and I follow the girls into a bookstore, but it wasn't your average book store. It had books on myths, magic, and astrology among other things. There were also various little trinkets, stones, and plants along with various other items that claimed to be good for healing or warding off evil.

"ah, it's good to see you girls, and you've brought a friend!" says woman cheerfully. Suddenly I smell something particularly vile and let out an involuntary hiss causing everyone to look at me strangely.

"You okay, Bella?" asks Jade.

"What's that smell?" I ask disgusted.

"What does it smell like dear?" asks the woman. _Concentrated werewolf…only worse…_I couldn't say that though so I try to think of what he used to smell like to me.

"Umm…trees…kinda musky…" I say.

"Strange, that's only supposed to smell bad to vampires," says the woman. _Oh shit._

"Umm…did I say it smelled bad?" I ask nervously. What the hell did I get myself into? "Vampires aren't real."

"Just like witches and werewolves and shape-shifters aren't real?" asks the old woman.

"Exactly," I say nodding my head eagerly.

"Bella, we're witches," says McKenzie.

End Chapter

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Firstest I need to apologize for being dumb in the last chapter and putting Miss Swan instead of Miss McCarty when the gym teacher was yelling at her. Someone asked me why I did that and here is the answer: because I'm a dumbass! No, it was just an accident, I didn't catch it when I did it, sorry if I confused anyone. Moving on with life…umm…review…please? Reviews make me happy and keep me going…seriously they do…I just like to procrastinate. Like I haven't even been reading very much, I don't know what's wrong with me! I must be tired of looking at words or something…anyhoo, it's almost 2 A.M. and I'm exhausted…my brain is shutting down…my eye lids are getting heavy…and I'm about to pass out typing this stupid and pointless A/N…so good night (or morning), review, and I'll update ASAP. Sayonara! =D **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

BPOV:

I was shocked by what I had heard! I couldn't have possibly heard what McKenzie had just said to me. "What do you mean, witches?" I ask incredulously. You would think that with my being a vampire that I would be used to this sort of thing, but I just wasn't. As far as I knew witches weren't exactly real. I'd heard of Wicca, but that was a religion wasn't it? Witchcraft and sorcery were the things of fiction books and scary movies.

"Come on Bella, you know exactly what I mean. And we're not talking Wicca, we're talking real witches, with spells and potions and everything," says McKenzie.

"And from the reaction you had to the incense I'd say that you're a vampire," says Jade.

"What I don't understand though is how you can be standing so close to five people who are essentially mortal, and not try to drink our blood," says Serenity.

"I was raised better than that," I mumble as I try not to breathe through my nose.

"How old are you?" asks Stella.

"18," I admit.

"How old are you as a vampire?" asks the old woman who was working.

"I'm a year old," I say. It was true, I had just gotten out of the newborn stage, but even now I shouldn't be as…_tame_—as Emmett would put it—as I am. They all seemed shocked by my young age.

"A newborn?!" gasps the woman.

"No," I say defiantly. "I no longer have any human blood in my system."

"You're still far too young to be so controlled," says the woman.

"And your eyes aren't red," notes Serenity.

"I'm not your typical vampire," I say.

"What makes you so unique?" asks Jade.

"I don't hunt humans…I hunt animals," I say causing everyone to gasp again. I growl and roll my eyes. I shouldn't be telling them so much, but they already knew what I was so there was really no point in trying to hide anything. Alice had to have seen this coming.

"How do you survive?" asks Serenity, always the tactical one.

"How do vegetarians survive?" I ask rhetorically before answering my own question. "My hunting an animal—as opposed to hunting a human—is no different from a vegetarian eating only things that didn't contain meat. We've both strayed from our natural food sources and learned to survive."

"Who taught you that?" asks the woman. I wasn't sure who she was yet, but she seemed to know a lot more about vampires than I gave her credit for.

"My creator and his family," I say. "None of us eat humans, but that doesn't mean that none of us haven't strayed either."

"Have you strayed?" asks the woman.

"Yes," I say. Toby was probably the only one who had never strayed. Rosalie would say that she's never tasted human blood, but she'd killed humans, so if you wanted to consider a technicality like that you could. Toby was still having difficulty refraining from hunting humans, but he was at an age where killing someone was still murder and it would probably scar him for the rest if his existence if he ever did that. We all knew it and tried to protect him from having that ever happen to him, and his control was good, but some days were hard. He was just too innocent. As for myself, I had tasted human blood, but I hadn't succumbed to the monster within. Quil was still alive to tell the tale, and he did.

"When?" asks McKenzie.

"Soon after I was born. My brother was bitten and in an effort to save him, I sucked the venom from his body. I succeeded in stopping and he's still alive today to tell the tale," I say.

"You tasted human blood and yet managed to have the strength to stop…even as a newborn?" asks the woman incredulously.

"Yes. If I hadn't, he would have died, and it would have been my fault. He was trying to fight my fight for me."

"Who is your creator?" asks the woman.

"Edward Cullen," I say.

"Cullen? Who was Edward's creator? Do you know?"

"Of course I do. It's Carlisle," I say somewhat harshly. I wasn't in the mood to be asked so many questions. I actually just wanted to go home.

"That would explain things then. Apart from the volturi, the Cullen clan is probably the second largest coven," says the woman. "My name is Kestrel."

"Do you know Carlisle?" I ask causing Kestrel to nod.

"He's been a good friend of mine for many years. He saved my life," says Kestrel fondly. I could tell that she thought very highly of Carlisle, but she wasn't in love with him, just a good friend with a lot of respect.

"So…is the volturi going to come hunt me and my family down for telling you so much about us?" I ask warily causing Kestrel to laugh.

"No, of course not! Aro, Caius, and Marcus were friends with some of the very first witches. It's all part of the mythical world that humans aren't supposed to know about," says Kestrel.

"Okay," I say relieved that I hadn't doomed my family, of course Alice probably would have said something if I was going to get everyone killed.

"Now that everything is settled…grandma we came to get stuff for this weekend," says McKenzie.

"I was told that the four of you would be coming so I put some things together for you," says Kestrel walking towards the back of the store. We all follow her and stop outside of a room. Soon Kestrel comes out carrying four boxes, each about the size of a large shoe box, and passes them out to Jade, Stella, Serenity, and McKenzie.

"Now then, go on and do what you really came to the mall for. Bella, tell Carlisle that I'll be coming to visit soon," says Kestrel with a smile.

"Okay," I say as we walk out of the store. I was relieved when I could finally breathe properly.

"That was strange, how could we have not caught that you was really a vampire? Now that we know it seems kind of obvious," says McKenzie as we walk.

"She's not like normal vampires," says Jade.

"I'm standing right here you know," I say a little peeved that they were acting like I wasn't walking behind them. McKenzie giggles and apologizes before going back to walking.

"So what's really the deal with your family?" asks McKenzie.

"Carlisle created everyone but Alice, Jasper, Toby, and myself. I had the option of allowing Carlisle to change me, but I wanted Edward to do it I guess," I say. "None of us are actually related, but Edward is my husband, Alice and Jasper are married, as well as Carlisle and Esme, and Rosalie and Emmett."

"What's Toby's story?" asks Serenity.

"I found him in the process of being changed, out in the middle of the woods and took him to Carlisle. I felt bad because he was just a kid. Now he's stuck at 13 forever," I say sadly. I felt bad for Toby every time I saw him. Felt bad for his parents who probably missed him, as well as his friends and if he had any brothers or sisters I felt bad for them too. He had run away, but chances were that he would have gone home, but before he got the chance he was attacked. I wasn't sure what made the vampire abandon him, or even stop before killing him, but whatever it was he was part of our family now.

He was my responsibility as well, almost like a son, and he often treated me as a mother, even though I was only 5 years older than him. I knew when I found him and took him to Carlisle that he was probably going to become my responsibility though. He stuck by Esme's side a lot, but he would always go to me if he was having problems or wanted something. He treated Esme and Carlisle more like grandparents. He even went to Edward from time to time and looked up to him like a son looks up to a father. I had asked Edward once if it bothered him, and he told me that he kind of liked being looked up to.

"So what is Toby to you?" asks Jade.

"It's hard to explain," I admit. "I'm too young to be his mom, but he doesn't really treat me like an older sister, and he treats Esme as more of a grandparent, so I guess I'm his mother in a sense."

"He seems like a sweet kid," says Serenity.

"He is," I say with a fond smile.

"Okay, enough about Toby, let's go shopping!" cheers McKenzie before running into Macy's. We all giggle and follow her inside.

End Chapter

**A/N: Thanks for reading chapter three…how do you feel about a chapter just about Toby and how he came to become a vampire? Just as a bonus chapter or something…IDK…it was just a thought I had while typing this. Does anyone care about Toby enough to want to learn about his past? Let me know your thoughts on this. Depending on the feedback I'll decide how to do the next chapter. As always, thanks for the reviews so far and I would love lots more!!! Sayonara! =]**


	4. Bonus Chapter: Toby's Story

**Bonus Chapter: Toby**

TPOV:

I stood in the aisle of the convenience store wondering if I was seriously considering shoplifting a loaf of bread and some peanut butter for my sister, Julie and me. Looking at the bread I realized that I couldn't really get it out of the store unnoticed, so I opted to find something smaller. I walk to the produce section and grab a couple of apples before sticking them in my hoodie pocket and walking to the counter carrying a couple of cookies that were a quarter a piece. I had found that it wasn't as suspicious if you actually bought something so I paid for the cookies and left.

When I got home I walked in and looked around the small apartment. Julie was sitting on the couch with the TV up way too loud. Then I noticed that mom's bedroom door was closed. It made me so pissed off when mom brought men home like this. Lately it was this guy named James. He was pale with red eyes—I assumed that they were just creepy contacts—and he always seemed to be wearing the same stupid worn out jeans, t-shirt, and jacket.

I supposed that he was handsome, but I didn't like him. He always looked at Julie funny. He looked at her like a predator looked at his prey, just like the way he looked at mom. "Julie, how long has mom been home?" I ask as I walk towards the kitchen.

"She came in at the beginning of _Tom and Jerry_," says Julie. A look at the clock reveals that she'd been home for 20 minutes. "She told me to be good and turned up the TV. James was with her again."

"Come into the kitchen and I'll get you some food," I say as I pull the apples and cookies out of my pocket before proceeding to peel and cut the apples. Julie walks in just as I put the apples into a bowl and hand it to her.

"Thank you," says Julie before sitting down and eating them.

"Sorry I couldn't get you anything better," I say sadly as I watch Julie eat.

"I like it Toby. Thank you," says Julie before taking another bite. "It's the best dinner I've had all week."

"After that get a bath and then it's bed time," I say before getting up and going into the bathroom to take a shower. While I was getting dressed Julie walks in and stands in the doorway.

"I'm all done eating," says Julie.

"Good, I'll start your bath for you," I say.

"James came into the kitchen," says Julie as I turn on the bath water.

"Did he say anything?" I ask.

"He asked what I was eating so I told him that I was eating an apple. He told me apples were good for me," says Julie, as she gets undressed.

"Is that it? What was he doing?" I ask.

"Getting some water," says Julie as I turn off the water and motion for Julie to get into the water.

"Okay, I'm going to stay in here while you take a bath, I don't want James coming in here," I say.

"Okay," says Julie. Once Julie had her bath and was in her pajamas we went to my room.

"I want you to stay in here tonight, Julie," I say as I make my bed. Julie watches me from the doorway until I'm done and when I am she crawls into the bed followed by me. A few days later I was went to the post office after school and got the mail. It was the first of the month again, and I knew to expect a letter from dad, and there it was. But this time it was different. It wasn't addressed to mom, but to me, there still wasn't a return address though, but I noticed it was post marked from Washington. I open the letter and find double the amount of money he usually sends us along with a note.

_Dear Tobias,_

_I know it's been a while since you've seen me. I want to apologize to you and Julie for that. I've sent extra money and a bus ticket for each of you. They're scheduled to be used on the third, and I'll be in Port Angeles to pick the two of you up when you get dropped off on the sixth. Of course if you're not there on the sixth I'll understand. Give half of the money to your mother so she doesn't get suspicious. You can tell her where you're going if you want to, but she probably wouldn't approve. I hope to see you on the sixth. _

_Sincerely, Dad (555-555-9878)_

The letter surprised me. I hadn't expected this to happen at all. I hadn't seen him since he walked out four years ago. Julie was only a year old so she doesn't remember him at all. I knew one thing though. I was going to take him up on his offer. When I got home I gave mom the money and mail just as Julie walked out wrapped in a towel. "I took a bath," says Julie proudly.

"What's going on?" I ask instantly suspicious. It was the middle of the day and Julie was taking a bath?

"Julie and I are going over to James' apartment," says mom as she begins to dress Julie.

"Why?" I ask.

"He invited us to dinner. You're going too, so don't get mad," says Mom. "Go get changed, I picked your clothes out." I knew that Julie would do anything mom asked her to do, she was just happy to get attention. I knew that all we had to do was get through this week and we'd be gone. I get dressed without looking at what mom had picked out before going back to the living room. Mom had Julie in a dress and had proceeded to putting her hair up.

Soon we got to the apartment where James was staying and mom took us inside. When we got there, two other people were sitting at the table. A man and woman. The man was African American with red eyes like James' and the woman was one of the most beautiful girls I'd ever seen. She too had red eyes and I began to wonder if they weren't contacts after all. Then James walked into the room and looked at us before grinning. He suddenly looked very dangerous.

"I'd like you to meet my friends. This is Laurent and Victoria," says James. "I've invited them to dinner too, hope you don't mind."

"That's great!" says mom happily. "The more the merrier." I had a very bad feeling about all of this. Julie seemed to too because when I looked down at her she was trying to hide behind me.

"Victoria, Laurent, these two lovely children are Tobias and Julie," says James motioning towards the two of us.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," says Victoria with a smile that showed all of her teeth. She suddenly looked very menacing, almost like a vampire without fangs.

"I'm not feeling so well," I say hoping that Julie would say the same thing and we could go home. Mom seemed to be the only one who was oblivious to what was going on here.

"Me too momma, I wanna go home," whimpers Julie as he grip on my shirt tightens. Mom wasn't very happy and didn't seem to believe us until she noticed how pale Julie looked all of a sudden. I must have looked the same way because mom was suddenly pushing us out the door along with money to take the bus.

I immediately grab Julie and run outside to the bus stop. When we got home about ten minutes later I ran to Julie's room and grabbed her suitcase out of her closet. "We're leaving Julie," I say as I throw her clothes into it.

"I want to pack my own clothes!" shouts Julie. She obviously didn't fully understand the situation either.

"Okay, you can pick one outfit," I say as I throw more clothes into the bag just as the phone rings. I run out and grab it.

"Hello?" I ask breathlessly. I could hear mom's screams in the background.

"You're a very smart boy, Tobias," says James. "Your mother just wasn't smart enough to leave. Too bad. Laurent and Victoria are enjoying themselves."

"What did you do to her?" I murmur angrily.

"You have a one week head start Tobias. One week before Victoria, Laurent, and I come looking for you and Julie. When we find you, you won't be so lucky," says James just as Mom's screaming comes to a halt. I hang up and run back to Julie's room. She was now wearing a princess dress and fairy wings along with bumblebee antennae.

"Did you pick out your outfit?" I ask as I zip up her bag and go to my room.

"I want to wear this!" shouts Julie as she follows me to my room where I grab a duffle bag and proceed to throw clothes into it. The next thing I knew we were sitting on a bus headed towards Washington. Julie sat next to me shaking whether out of fear or the coldness of the bus I wasn't sure though. It would take us three days to get there. James had said he would give us a week, but I wasn't going to trust the word of the man who killed our mother.

"Where are we going?" asks Julie as we left new York City and entered the country.

"We're going to Washington," I say as I wrap my arm around Julie.

"What's that?" asks Julie.

"It's a state. It's where our dad lives," I say looking down at her to see her reaction. Her face lit up and she looked excited by the idea that she would see her father.

"We get to see Dad?" asks Julie happily.

"Yes, but it'll take a couple of days to get there," I say.

*** * ***

Three days later we were in Port Angeles. Julie was asleep in my arms as I walked to a nearby pay phone to call our Dad. I pulled some money out of my pocket and put it in the phone before dialing his number. "Hello?"

"Dad?" I ask.

"Who is this?" asks the man.

"Tobias," I say.

"Tobias, is there something you needed?" asks the man.

"Are you my dad?"

"Yes, I am," he says.

"Okay. I'm in Port Angeles with Julie. Can you come get us?" I ask.

"You're early."

"I traded the tickets in for new ones. I'll explain everything when you get here so will you come get us?" I ask wearily.

"Yes, of course. It'll take me about an hour."

"That's fine," I say before hanging up and going to sit on a bench. True to his word, our dad picked us up an hour later. When he did he seemed happy to see us. Julie was still asleep in my arms, it was late after all, almost 2 A.M.

"Tobias, you're all grown up." I nod and walk over to him carrying Julie. "So is Julie."

"I'm sorry that I called you so late, but it was important that we got here as soon as possible," I say.

"Why?"

"Mom's dead, Dad. Her boyfriend and his friends killed her. Julie and I could tell something was wrong so we told mom we felt sick and went home. Her boyfriend called me while I was packing our bags and I could hear mom in the background screaming, and then it just stopped," I explain.

"Come on."

It was four days later when the doorbell rang. Dad was at work so I was home with Julie and we were watching TV. "Stay here," I say before walking to the door and opening it. I don't know why, maybe I was expecting it, but when I opened the door I hadn't been surprised to find James standing in the doorway with his friends.

"Hello Tobias. You got far in a week, but not far enough," says James with a large grin.

"Julie, get out of here!" I shout. Suddenly James and Laurent were gone and Victoria was standing in front of me with a large grin on her face.

"Little Julie will be no more than an appetizer for James and Laurent, but you'll be just right for me," says Victoria.

"Big brother!" screams Julie followed by a sickening crunch. Then I was running. I knew that there was nothing I could do for her now.

"You can't outrun me!" I hear Victoria call as I run into the woods. I had to get away from her! Suddenly I was pounced on from behind and I feel teeth sink into my neck. I cry out in pain and struggle to get away. This couldn't be the end, my life couldn't end like this!

Suddenly, the teeth in my neck were gone and I hear a hiss. I was in so much pain though that I could care less what was happening. I just wanted the pain to go away. I felt like I was on fire. The next thing I knew I was moving very quickly.

"What happened?" asks a man.

"I found this boy in the woods while I was patrolling," says a girl's voice. She didn't sound like Victoria though.

"He's been bitten," says a different man. He sounded surprised.

"Sam wants to kill him," says the girl again followed by a hiss.

"So you brought him here?!" demands a shrewd voice.

"He hasn't done anything wrong, he doesn't deserve to die! Don't you have room for one more?" asks the girl.

"There's always room," promises the first man.

"Thank you," whispers the girl, and then I was being moved into a cold pair of arms.

"The pack's here. They followed your scent," says the second boy. I had no idea what was going on, but I felt safer now that I was away from Victoria.

"Esme, take this boy up to one of the guest rooms and make him comfortable. I'll be up as soon as I can," demands the first voice calmly. Then I was being handed off again. As I was being carried I heard what sounded like dogs fighting outside. One dog was losing and the people that were talking earlier sounded worried.

"Bella!" that was the last thing I heard before the pain overcame me and I passed out.

End Chapter

**A/N: Thanks for reading this bonus chapter. I had meant to post it sooner, but my friend introduced me to this wonderful anime sight and I got distracted. I hope you liked this bonus chapter, sorry you had to wait so long just for this, but I thought you'd like to know Toby's story. =3 Feel free to ask questions since I didn't explain a whole lot…sayonara! =]**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Four**

When we got back to my house and went inside, Carlisle was waiting by the door with an unreadable expression on his face. "Welcome home, Bella," he says quietly. I had a feeling that I was in trouble for what had happened with Kestrel.

"Thank you, Carlisle," I murmur.

"Won't you all come into the living room?" suggests Carlisle as he walks towards the living room. I knew it wasn't really a suggestion though, and my friends seemed to realize this too because we all followed quietly. Once we were all seated Esme came into the room and sat next to Carlisle on the love seat. I was seated in the chase lounge and McKenzie, Serenity, and Stella were seated on the couch while Jade sat alone in the armchair.

"You have a beautiful house," says Stella obviously trying to lighten the mood.

"Thank you dear," says Esme gently.

"Bella, Alice told me that you spoke to someone today about what we are," says Carlisle.

"It wasn't really Bella's fault though," says McKenzie quickly. "She reacted to the incense that Kestrel was burning. It's dipped in the blood of shape-shifters and is supposed to ward off vampires. Bella smelled it and hissed and Kestrel sensed that something was different about her and questioned her. Bella didn't tell Kestrel anything she didn't already know…not really anyway."

"Kestrel…" says Carlisle thoughtfully.

"She told me to tell you that she'd be coming to visit soon," I say.

"Bella, you're lucky that it was Kestrel who you spoke to. She's been a good friend for a while now. Had it been someone else we might not be so lucky. It sounds like it really wasn't your fault. Alice only saw part of what happened, she didn't know much. I apologize for making assumptions," says Carlisle. Suddenly I was being picked up and when I was sat back down I was in Edward's lap.

"Where have you been?" I ask.

"I'm sorry love, but Carlisle didn't want me part of the conversation, and he can be very persuasive when he wants something," says Edward with a crooked smile.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Let's just say I got to keep something precious to me," says Edward.

"What's more important than me?" I demand.

"That wasn't what I meant. I knew that you would be okay. You weren't in any real danger anyway," says Edward.

"Whatever," I grumble turning back to my friends who were all staring at Edward. "See something you like girls?" I tease. They all blush but don't say anything. I laugh and turn to give Edward a peck on the cheek before turning back just in time to see Toby walk into the living room smelling like fresh air and looking like he'd seen a ghost. I immediately get up and go to him.

"What's wrong Toby?" I ask as I gently grab his wrists. He shakes his head and doesn't speak. I shake him gently before asking again. "Tobias, what is wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I-I think I m-might have," stutters Toby.

"What do you mean?" I demand in a low voice. He looks towards the large window that dominated the back wall of the living room. I look out as well, and when I do I see a young girl standing in the middle of the yard holding a stuffed animal--which appeared to be an elephant—and looking at the house longingly. Her brown hair was pulled back into pig tails and she was wearing a princess dress and fairy wings, along with, what appeared to be bumblebee antennae. Looking at her eyes I realize that they're shifty like she was nervous, and then I realize that they were pitch black. "Oh my—Carlisle!"

"What is it Bella?" asks Carlisle as he approaches; but by then she was gone.

"There was a little girl out there," I say pointing just as Edward walks over and places his hands on my shoulders. "She couldn't have been more than five or six."

"Children run away all of the time Bella," says Carlisle reasonably.

"She had black eyes Carlisle, and pale skin. Also, no kid I know can disappear that fast," I insist.

"Julie," whispers Toby. I look down at Toby and he still looked like he'd seen a ghost, but he also looked sad.

"Julie?" I ask a little confused.

"My sister," whispers Toby. With that said Toby jerks away from me and runs out the back door.

"Toby!" I shout. I make to run after him, but a pair of arms wraps around my waist stopping me from going after him. I look up to find Edward holding me back. "I have to go after him! Edward, if that's really his sister—"

"Then she's an immortal child. She's dangerous, Bella," explains Edward.

"All the more reason to go after Toby! Edward I have to help him!" I argue as I try to free myself from his grip.

"Let me or Carlisle go. Bella, immortal children aren't allowed to survive. If she's found…" Edward trails off and doesn't finish his sentence, but I knew how it was supposed to end. If she was found, she'd have to be destroyed.

"Then let's you and I go, Edward. Someone has to be there for Toby," I insist.

"Bella, we've got to go," says McKenzie, surprising me, I had forgotten they were there.

"I'll see you girls later. Thank you for inviting me shopping," I say before turning back to Edward.

"I'm going with you, Edward. Someone has to be there for Toby when he watches his sister die," I insist. Edward seemed to realize that I was right and he nods.

"Okay, Carlisle and I will take care of the girl…you can take care of Toby," says Edward. I could tell that he didn't like this anymore than I did, but it also needed to be done. Carlisle was by our side in an instant and we were on Toby's trail within the next moment.

When we found Toby he was standing by a river staring across it at the little girl I had just seen outside of our house not long ago. She was still dressed the same, but her nervous look was gone and she looked like a normal child, but her eyes were no longer black, but red. Then I heard Toby speak. "I'm sorry Julie, I had no idea that you were still alive," he whispers.

"What is wrong with me big brother?" asks Julie desperately. "Why do I want to eat people?" It was then that I realized that little Julie had no idea what had become of her. She had no idea that she was now a vampire.

"Julie?" says Carlisle gently, like he would speak to any frightened child. Julie gasps and looks at us in surprise, as though she hadn't realized that we were there. She takes a step back and hugs her elephant tighter to her small body. "Please don't be frightened Julie. My name is Carlisle and I'd like to help you." He takes a step forward and when Julie doesn't move he takes a few more measured steps until he was next to Toby.

"How will you help me?" asks Julie.

"Because I know what's wrong with you. I'm a doctor," says Carlisle.

"What's wrong with me?" asks Julie nervously.

"Have you ever heard of vampires, Julie?" asks Carlisle. When she nods he continues, "You've become a vampire, Julie. Just like your brother, and me and my family." With that said Edward leads me over to stand next to Carlisle.

"Is there a way to make it go away?" asks Julie quietly.

"No, Julie. But there is a way for you to not have to hurt humans anymore." This seemed to give Julie some hope, I could see it in her eyes.

"Really?" asks Julie hesitantly, almost like she was afraid it was too good to be true.

"Carlisle and his family have helped me Julie, and they could help you," says Toby. "They don't hurt people, they hunt for animals."

"I can do that?" asks Julie.

"Carlisle, she's an immortal child," murmurs Edward much too low for Julie, but with Carlisle right next to him he easily heard Edward. Carlisle seemed to think something that made Edward unhappy causing Edward to growl softly. Then Edward grunted and nodded and I realized that Carlisle had an idea that might change our plans for the night.

"Julie, would you like to join our family?" asks Carlisle.

"Will Toby be there?" asks Julie hopefully.

"Of course," says Carlisle. "But, there will be rules. If you cannot follow the rules there will be consequences."

"What are the rules?" asks Julie.

"You cannot hunt or harm humans in any way. You must do everything that you are told and you may not go anywhere without one of the family members with you. We cannot have attention drawn to you. Do you understand?" asks Carlisle.

"What will happen if I don't listen?" asks Julie.

"Other vampires might come and take you away from your brother," says Carlisle. Julie didn't seem to like that idea very much so she nodded her head in agreement.

"Okay…can Peanut come too?" asks Julie holding out her elephant.

"Peanut is welcome to join you if he would like," says Carlisle. With a cheer Julie was over the river and in Carlisle's arms.

"Thank you!" says Julie happily.

"You're very welcome, Julie. Let's show you your new home," says Carlisle.

End Chapter

**A/N: Okay so I couldn't bring myself to write about the death of Julie, plus it'll make things more interesting in the long run. So will Julie fit right in or will she be trouble? Only way to find out is to read. I apologize this took so long…I've been doing lots of babysitting my 2 month old niece and the only time I have for myself is in the evenings when I read or hang out with my family or something that isn't writing…=[ I know that's mean, but after babysitting all day it seems like the only thing I want to do is relax…but I promise to try getting back into my writing. I hope that you liked this chapter…I personally liked it and am happy with how it turned out. Keep in mind that reviews are always welcome, including constructive criticism. People have been criticizing my other stories and I appreciated it, so don't be afraid to tell me what you really think. I promise not to bite your head off. Feel free to ask questions as well…I'm always happy to clear up any confusion you may have. As always, Sayonara! =] **


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Five**

When we got home the family was waiting in the living room. It was obvious that they were worried about our plans to kill Julie, but once I looked at Alice I realized that maybe they were more worried about Julie joining our quickly growing family. When Julie entered the room holding Toby's hand everyone looked at her and I could see their concern, and while I didn't blame them, I wished at the same time that they would just accept the turn of events and welcome her.

Then Esme stood up and walked over to her. "Hello, Julie, my name is Esme." Julie seemed surprised that Esme knew her name. Her response was to hide behind Toby and peek up at Esme from behind his leg.

"H-hi," whispers Julie.

"Don't be scared Julie. Esme is really nice," says Toby. Then Alice skips over with Jasper in tow and suddenly Julie wasn't nervous anymore, instead she was excited.

"Hey there, my name is Alice!"

"Hi Alice!" says Julie excitedly,

"And this is Jasper," adds Alice cheerfully.

"Hi!" crows Julie as she practically jumps up and down. "This is Peanut," she says holding out her stuffed elephant.

"Hey kiddo, I'm Emmett," booms Emmett as he walks over. I could see Julie getting scared again despite Jasper's waves of excitement that I had no doubt he was picking up from Alice.

"Emmett's like a big old teddy bear, Julie, you have nothing to fear," I say trying to help her feel better about the situation.

"Really?" asks Julie.

"I'm not a teddy bear!" argues Emmett. "I'm a grizzly bear."

"Only sometimes, Em, the rest of the time you're a teddy bear," I say with a grin. Julie was once again bouncing in place and looked ready to play with Emmett. Then I noticed that Rosalie was missing from this equation so I dropped my shield and asked Edward, _What's wrong with Rosalie?_

"She's worried about the situation," murmurs Edward in my ear too low for anyone else to hear.

_Oh, I see. Kind of like when you and I first got together?_

"Exactly," says Edward with a mischievous grin.

_What?_

"Don't you know what reading your mind makes me want to do?" asks Edward causing me to giggle. Then I decided I wasn't going to be easy to get tonight, he had some explaining to do about earlier. Now that things seemed to be solved for now I was ready to move on to my next task.

_So what was so important to you that you stayed away from my conversation with Carlisle earlier? _ My question seemed to surprise Edward and suddenly he looked guilty of something. _Tell me or I'll ever let you into my mind again._ I slowly begin to close my shield.

"Okay, he threatened to allow Emmett and Jasper do whatever they wanted to my vanquish and I knew the things they had in mind…but they were afraid to get into trouble," says Edward.

"Your stupid car was more important than my welfare?!" I demand.

"O-of course not, Love," says Edward taking a step away from me. I could hear Emmett and Jasper chuckling.

"Never tell a chick that your car is more important than her in _any_ situation," says Emmett. "I thought you would know that since you know everything else."

"It's not," insists Edward.

"Then why did you let Carlisle win?" I ask.

"I knew you were in no real danger, Bella. He only wanted to talk after all," says Edward pleadingly.

"Whatever," I mumble as I walk away. Suddenly the doorbell rings so I go to the door and answer it, careful to go at a human pace in case whoever was at the door was human.

When I open the door I find Amber and Jacob standing on the porch both grinning at me. "Bella!" says Amber excitedly before hugging me, nearly knocking me over in the process. Then I notice two more figures walking up the drive. Their scents hit me and I realize it was my brothers.

"Hey guys! I wasn't expecting you two," I say excitedly.

"Didn't Esme tell ya Jake was coming?" asks Quil as he approaches.

"Yes, but she only said Jake and some of the pack was coming, I didn't know it would be you two and Amber with him," I admit.

"Why wouldn't it be us? We've all really missed you," says Embry.

"I've missed you guys too," I say as I let them all in and we get settled in the living room.

"So what brings you all here? Esme said whatever you had to say sounded important," I say.

"It is," says Embry happily.

"Okay, so what is it?" I ask.

"Embry imprinted," says Jacob just as Embry was about to speak.

"Really?" I ask excitedly. "What's her name? Where's she from? How old is she?" I ask so quickly I was surprised Embry caught any of it.

"Her name is Sophia. She just moved to the rez, and she's the same age as me," says Embry.

"Is she nice? What does she look like? Is she Quileute?" Embry laughs before nodding and then pulling his wallet out of his pocket and pulling a photo from it.

The woman in the picture was beautiful with her copper skin and raven colored hair. In the photo she held a silver tabby with a white chest and paws. "So…she's a cat lover?"

"Is that a problem?" asks Embry.

"No, I just wondered. So when do I get to meet her?" I ask.

"Soon," says Embry handing me an envelope. I could tell that the envelope was expensive and held heavy paper. Curious, I open the envelope and pull out another envelope that was slightly smaller. Getting anxious I open the smaller envelope and pull out what was clearly some form of invitation. It didn't take me long to figure out what the invitation was for.

"You're getting married?!" I squeal excitedly. I was truly happy for my big brother, he deserved this.

"Read the back," insists Embry. Confused, I turn the invitation around and find a note had been written on the back. The handwriting was obviously written by a woman since it was too neat to be Quil or Embry's.

_Dear Bella,_

_ I know we haven't met yet, but here's to hoping we meet soon. I just wanted to ask you if you would like to be part of the wedding? I hope to see you soon, and if you want to be part of the wedding let Embry know and I'll let you know what I had in mind. _

_ Love, Sophia_

"Tell her that I would love to," I say.

"She'll be happy to hear that. She also said that all of you are invited," says Embry.

"We'll be there," says Esme fondly.

"Is anything else going on at the Rez?" I ask. Suddenly everyone seemed less interested in talking and I was a little worried. "What aren't I being told now?"

"Umm…remember that fight we had with those three vampires?" asks Quil.

"How can I forget?" I ask.

"Turns out that we only managed to kill two of them," says Embry.

End Chapter

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Okay just as a note so no one can ask (but someone probably will) I was rereading the last few chapters of Taboo and noticed that during the fight with the three vamps Bella threw one of them (Laurent) into the woods, but didn't actually kill him. So that means that he could very well come back….so he did…so there you have it.**

**If it's not one problem it's another for me…my stupid computer at home won't freaking turn on so now the only chance I'll get to write is when I go to my grandma's house. This will slow me down even more!!! Oh and ****HeartBreaker1023 and I would like to apologize for taking so long in posting the next chapter. HeartBreaker1023 wanted me to tell everyone that the reason is because she's been busy with school. Also, her brother dropped her laptop down two flights of stairs. (I know right? I told her if it were my brother I'd have him sent to Volterra.) So that is why we're such slowpokes. And while I could attempt to write the next chapter on my own, I'm not going to, because I can't read minds, so I don't know exactly what she has planned for the next chapter. I'm only half of the brain for this story after all. She sends me a detailed outline of the story and specific lines she wants in the chapters and I do the rest. So once again, we apologize for the long wait. **

**On another note, I've moved! This is reason two why I'm so slow…the house is nice, but possibly haunted…I keep hearing my name being called and my mom heard a door slam and someone started talking to her, but no one was there…so paranoia or something more? Probably paranoia. Review please! Sayonara! =3**


End file.
